Shari and Lamb Chop (2023) Lisa D'Apolito’s documentary is an affectionate ode to the career of pioneering children’s television host and ventriloquist Shari Lewis from her early days through her twilight years. Encouraged at a young age by her magician father and musician mother, Lewis developed her own act, eventually leading to a live television show, featuring Lamb Chop and her other puppet pals. D’Apolito delves into Lewis’ personal life, albeit not too deeply, choosing instead to focus on her many talents and decades-long career. We learn more about Lewis herself, through archival footage, as well as interviews with some of the individuals who knew her best, including her daughter Mallory. It’s an affecting portrait of a consummate performer who persisted through ups and downs, to entertain generations of children and adults.
Rating: ***½. Available on DVD and Kanopy
Devil Doll (1964) Ace journalist Marianne Horn (Yvonne Romain) and her editor/boyfriend Mark English (William Sylvester) investigate mesmerist The Great Vorelli (Bryant Haliday), who possesses an uncanny ability to hypnotize audience members. Part of Vorelli’s act involves a ventriloquist routine with his creepy dummy Hugo (particularly disturbing is a scene when he makes the inanimate puppet stand up on its own). Things go from bad to worse when she falls under Vorelli’s control, much to the dismay of Mark. The film is filled with unnerving moments, with palpable tension between ventriloquist and dummy. Will Hugo obey his master, or is the master a slave to Hugo? The film succeeds, largely due to Haliday’s excellent performance as the deranged Vorelli, incapable of having a relationship with a woman that doesn’t involve some form of coercion.
Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray, Prime Video and Tubi
Legend of the Sacred Stone (2000) In this fast-paced Taiwanese movie by writer/director Chris Huang, martial arts masters from around the region are recruited to keep a mystical stone from falling into the wrong hands. The fight scenes are surprisingly believable, thanks to a skillful combination of puppetry, swift editing, and CGI enhancement. Huang’s visually stunning film is hindered only by the thin story and expressionless puppet faces. These are minor quibbles, however, when the film looks this good.
Rating: ***. Available on DVD (Import)
Head (2015) Not to be confused with the trippy 1968 Monkees movie with the same name, this mildly amusing slasher/comedy might be worth a look. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: a group of aimless, horny 20-somethings go camping in the same woods where a series of grisly murders took place. Now they’re struggling to survive as their friends are picked off, one-by-one. But here’s the twist: They’re all puppets. Filled with loads of puppet sex and gore, you can’t blame director/co-writer Jon Bristol from trying to keep us entertained. Despite the cheap production values and hackneyed script, it’s hard not to admire the effort on a certain level.
Rating **½ stars. Available on DVD and Tubi
Let My Puppets Come (1976) Hoo-boy… Where to start with this one? Perhaps no other movie from the ‘70s so thoroughly embodied that weird and wonderful decade’s try-anything approach. Of course (to paraphrase a line from Jurassic Park), just because they could doesn’t mean they should have attempted a softcore porn film filled with puppets. If you can’t resist the urge to see this (hey, I’m not stopping you), be aware that there are two versions floating around: the original 75-minute cut, and the heavily edited 45-minute version.
Fun Fact: Among the composers who contributed to the soundtrack is the multi-Academy Award-nominated Alan Silvestri (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Back to the Future, The Abyss, and many more), who’d probably prefer if you didn’t know about his involvement with this movie.
Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray (Out of Print) and other, less-reputable sources (Don’t ask).
Black Devil Doll from Hell (1984) Not to be confused with 1964’s Devil Doll (see review above), this shot-on-video wonder from producer/writer/director/composer Chester N. Turner is a head-scratcher. While poking around a second-hand shop, Helen Black (Shirley L. Jones), a devout young woman, discovers a ventriloquist’s dummy with dreadlocks. She inexplicably takes it home, despite a warning from the shopkeeper that it always finds its way back to the store. According to the backstory, the doll, which originated from the West Indies, could grant someone’s deepest desire. Of course, the last bit is just an excuse to make the dummy a sex maniac. Now, the once-virginal Helen can’t get enough of his special kind of lovin.’ Black Devil Doll from Hell is cheap, lewd, and unpleasant. Is it so bad it’s good, or just plain bad? I’ll let you be the judge, but if you decide to see it, don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Rating *½. Available on DVD (Out of Print) and Internet Archive